Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Rating
RIYL
RadioheadBrian Eno
Aphex Twin
Björk
Tracklist
1. The Eraser2. Analyse
3. The Clock
4. Black Swan
5. Skip Divided
6. Atoms For Peace
7. And It Rained All Night
8. Harrowdown Hill
9. Cymbal Rush
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With Radiohead, you never really know what you’re going to get with their next album, but you have a general idea: weird, creative, and awesome. When word got out that Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke was to release a solo album, there was little doubt of what to expect: weird, creative, and awesome. And although his debut solo album, The Eraser, is more predictable than the average Radiohead release, it still stands as another creative release for Yorke.
Neither bold nor conventional, The Eraser is nine tracks of pure Yorke influence. When Kid A was released in 2000, it was evident that Yorke was the mind behind a majority of the electronic elements to the album; since then, each Radiohead album has continued to include some electronic elements. Now, with The Eraser, we witness Yorke’s electronic influence in full force.
Tracks are stripped down and almost barren when compared with Radiohead, with most composing of a relatively simple, repetitive drumbeat and keyboards. There is some layering, but typically, each song doesn’t consist of more than a couple congruent tracks; something that is noticeably separate from Radiohead.
Yorke’s vocal performance is also independent from work with his legendary band. Yorke, known for his pain-inducing, sorrowful croon, tries a few different vocal styles on The Eraser, most notably on “Skip Divided,” the album’s best song both vocally and musically. Yorke displays a deep, calming voice “Skip Divided” that creates an especially eerie foreground to the music’s background; “Skip Divided” is also The Eraser’s most layered song. Being moody and eerie is nothing new to Yorke, but with The Eraser, he doesn’t have Johnny Greenwood and company to add to his eccentric, multidimensional voice and lyrics. This point alone makes The Eraser a substantial solo album: Yorke not only survives without his band – he thrives.
Other key tracks include the album’s title track, “Analyse,” the relatively mild yet catchy “Black Swan,” and the nearly funky “Harrowdown Hill.” These are the album’s most notable songs, but The Eraser stands strong as an entire album. However, make no mistake, this is not a Radiohead album, and The Eraser does have its differences, however subtle. And while The Eraser is a complete album, frankly, aside from “Skip Divided,” doesn’t have a track that really drives the album home; all the songs are solid, but only one is exceptional.
Despite the fact, The Eraser is a necessary album for Yorke, and probably for Radiohead too. Yorke performs undemanding, idiosyncratic electronic-pop songs, while still maintaining creativity and prowess as a brilliant songwriter. The Eraser is without doubt Yorke’s most accessible display since The Bends, but that’s not to say The Eraser is anywhere in the same league. But to reiterate, The Eraser is exactly what one could’ve hoped for from a Thom Yorke solo album because if absolutely nothing else, it emphasizes how much of a collective effort Radiohead really is.
--Kamran Rouzpay
Comments
Minnesota
Number of times Kamran uses The Eraser: 14
Number of pronouns Kamran uses: not enough
:)
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Hoboken, New Jersey
PA
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Still this record is good.
The Great North Woods
poor writing arises when you write at 3am
Darla Farmer
RIYL:
the Beatles
Tom Waits
Murder By Death
A Whisper in the Noise
the Blood Brothers
Green Brook, NJ
For The Sound :: My Website
The Great North Woods
who are these phantasms that were pissed off by kid a? kid a is second only to ok computer.
Darla Farmer
RIYL:
the Beatles
Tom Waits
Murder By Death
A Whisper in the Noise
the Blood Brothers
Belgrade, Serbia
cheers